Who stole dozens of recalled VW diesels from the Silverdome?

Oliver Schmidt, a former VW manager who worked for the German automaker in Auburn Hills, Mich., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Detroit to charges of conspiracy and violating the Clean Air Act in Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating scandal. He is to be sentenced Dec. 6 and could face a seven-year prison sentence, according to his plea agreement.
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Volkswagen cars are seen on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at the Silverdome in Pontiac.(Photo: Rachel Woolf, Special to the Free Press)

With almost 9,000 Volkswagens parked in the lot, it might be easy to lose track of a few dozen.

Or to steal them.

Oakland County Sheriff deputies are trying to figure out how at least 69 recalled Volkswagens that were supposed to be parked outside the shuttered Pontiac Silverdome ended up at auto auctions out of state with bogus titles.

"They were supposed to be on the lot, but we're not actually sure if they ever made it there," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "There's a possibility it's an inside job."

Bouchard said his auto theft task force learned about the problem when the cars were being sold at auctions in Indiana and Kentucky. One of the vehicles was sold to a dealer, who sold it to a consumer, Bouchard said.

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Almost 9,000 recalled Volkwagens are parked at the shuttered Pontiac Silverdome. Sheriff Deputies are investigating how 69 of them disappeared.(Photo: John Wisely/Detroit Free Press)

"We've tracked down a number of them in four different states with fraudulent titles," Bouchard said.

The sheriff said it's too early to name suspects and called the investigation "a work in progress."

Investigators in other states are working the case as well.

"They were given fake titles, Michigan titles, and that’s how they were transported out of state,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin told the Free Press Tuesday. “And that’s how they were being sold, they had bogus titles on them.”

Bouchard said the titles didn't come from the Michigan Secretary of State. Instead, the scammers printed forgeries that were close enough to the real thing to fool some buyers.

"They were taking them down south and different dealers were buying them unaware of what was going on," Bouchard said.

Volkswagen has recalled hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles as part of emissions scandal where the company acknowledged cheating on pollution tests to show the vehicles met U.S. standards when they didn't.

The cars are parked at lots across the country, while the company figures out what to do with them. The Silverdome, with thousands of empty spaces proved an ideal spot to store the vehicles for now. The stadium is slated for demolition later this year.

Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman said the prep work has begun and owners need to have all utilities disconnected before the demolition permits will be issued. Crews originally estimated an 8-month tear-down, but Waterman said that based on what they have seen so far, it might come down faster.

Bouchard said the company has about 8,700 vehicles parked at the Silverdome, adding he's only aware of the problems with the Pontiac location.

"But I would hope that someone at VW is taking an inventory at all the locations," Bouchard said.

Volkswagen declined to comment.

Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the Oakland County Sheriff's office or Crimestoppers of Michigan at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Contact John Wisely: 313-222-6825 of jwisely@freepress.com. On Twitter @jwisely.